biology Q/A

Assignment Questions

Who first identified and described the plants used in this study (i.e. the authority) [0.5 marks]

Glenn E. Bartley and Pablo A. Scolnik

What is the aim of the study? [1 mark]

The aim of this study is to modify knowledge of genes and enzymes for carotenoid biosynthesis in plant and also put some light on the challenges that are currently being faced by plant developmental biology and biotechnology.

What is the author's hypothesis? Was it supported or refuted by their research? [2 marks]

The author's hypothesis was that, “ Carotenoids protect photosynthetic organisms against potentially harmful photooxidative processes and are essential structure component of the photosynthetic antenna and reaction center complexes”. The authors hypothesis was not supported because of lack of research on his point, he did point out the proteins and complex compounds such as chlorophyll and various lipids, but “carotenoid binding protein is poorly understood”. Which does not provide him with enough data to prove his hypothesis. BRIEFLY, what causes leaf variegation? [2 marks] Variation in leaf color arises because of a lack of the green pigment chlorophyll in some of the plant cells. It is not an adaptation to the environment, but instead it is usually the result of a cell mutation, and can be genetically inherited or occur randomly in plants. If genetic, the color change is stable. Random mutation usually shows up as variegation. If you propagate from a green shoot or sow seed of the plant, the color will not occur. This kind of variegation is the most common, but is often difficult to stabilize.

Where are all table captions placed? How many vertical lines are in Table 1? Table 2?[1 mark]

Table captions are placed at the very bottom of the cart, separate from the chart. There are seven vertical lines in the chart.

Where are all figure captions placed? What do you think is meant by a “stand alone" figure?
[1 mark]

In the figure all the captions are written at the bottom of the figure with labels. “Stand alone” means to be able to operating something on your own.

What statistical test was used to validate the author's use of the term “significant" in their results section? [0.5 marks]

In the regulation of carotenoids biosynthesis. Carotenoid biosynthesis enzyme and carotenoid binding proteins are encoded with nuclear genes.

How many research papers did authors cite in their results section? [0.5 marks]

The author cited 7 research papers.

How many research papers did the authors cite in their discussion section? What table and figure numbers were referenced in their discussion? [1.0 mark] The author cited about 30 research papers. Table 1, and figure 1 was reffered in their discussion

What is the author's main conclusion? [0.5 marks]

In the conclusion is this research paper author's main conclusion is that based on the data of few plants carotenoid genes which were cloned, he was able to divided the process in two major areas, biosynthesis I photosynthetic tissue. In the end he mentioned that, “ combined biochemical and genetic appproches to understand the mechanistic, are likely to dominate the next decade of research in this field.”

Citation:

Bartley, Glenn E., and Pablo A. Scolnik. "Plant Carotenoids: Pigments for Photoprotection, Visual Attraction, and Human Health." The Plant Cell 7.7 (1995): 1027-38. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.